Crime Insiders

When wheelchair-bound Helen Dansie drowned in an Adelaide pond in 2017, it looked like a tragic accident. But it wasn’t. Her husband had pushed her in - deliberately. Why did he do it? And how did the justice system unravel the truth? In this episode of Crime Insiders | Judgements, dissect the case, the trial, and the appeal. unpacking the motives, the evidence, and the chilling deception be...

On the 9th of April 1995, a rental truck was unassumingly parked in front of a federal building in Oklahoma City. Seconds later, the truck exploded. 169 people, including children, were killed. Almost instantly. A massive investigation unfolded. Jeff Lanza, a seasoned FBI agent, was deeply involved. He immediately got to work acquiring information and starting the hunt for the person responsible....

In the early 1990s, a serial predator terrorised Melbourne’s inner north, preying on women in their own homes – some elderly, some pregnant, most of them alone. No one felt safe.   He crept in as they slept. And before fleeing, he made them count to 100 before they could call for help. They called him the Ascot Vale Rapist.  As fear gripped the city, a small team of fore...

Crime Insiders Forensics has a new host - award-winning journalist and true crime author, Dr Liz Porter! With a PhD on the work of the Victoria Police forensic lab and three books to her name, Liz has spent her career uncovering how cutting-edge science solves the toughest cases. Now, she’s bringing that expertise to Crime Insiders Forensics, sitting down with the world’s top forensic...

In 2006, a couple in their young twenties, we’ll call them Gina and Joseph, met at a church dance in New Zealand. But early on, cracks began to appear in their idyllic façade.  As years went on, their marriage was stained with violent altercations, drug use, infidelity, and a suicide attempt. In this episode of Crime Insiders | Judgements we take a deep dive on R v Kennedy, a mur...

How do young people become radicalised? Is it nature or nurture? Or something far more complex? Dr John Kasinathan is a forensic psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents.  In this episode, hear about the science of the developing brain, what drives crime in young people, the realities of being an incarcerated child in Australia, and one of the most shocki...

Kenneth Strange Jr served with three US federal agencies pursuing criminals and bad actors. Those agencies were the FBI, the US Agency for International Development and the Department of Justice. His service to those agencies brought him into conflict with jihadists, the cartels and international perpetrators of fraud.  Ken traveled extensively around the world to more than 65 countries; he l...

A council worker, a chance encounter, and a brutal murder that horrified Australia. In 1989, four women prowled Brisbane’s streets in search of a victim. What followed was a crime so savage it blurred the line between reality and horror fiction. Who was Tracey Wigginton, the self-proclaimed vampire at the heart of it all? And what drove her to kill? In this episode of Crime Insiders | Judgem...

After an attempted murder left a man brutally injured, one cop decided to change the way police in Queensland respond to violent crimes.  Queensland Police Sergeant Dustin Osborne is one of the best examples of how proactive policing can not only prevent crime, but save lives.  He designed and implemented QPol’s groundbreaking Tactical First Aid Program. An initiative which has rec...

A man found dead on an Adelaide beach in 1948—his identity unknown, his past a riddle, and his pocket containing a cryptic phrase: "Tamam Shud"—meaning  "it is finished." But what if it wasn’t finished? In this episode, hear from Professor Derek Abbott, a man who has spent decades unraveling this enigma. And now, he claims to have the answer.  Using DNA technology, Dere...

Two former high-profile NSW Detectives lured a drug dealer to a storage unit in Sydney's southern suburbs and murdered him in what the just called a "cold-blooded execution". Their trial took a turn when both turned on the other trying to prove they didn't kill Jamie Gao, the 20-year-old drug dealer who had taken 2.8 kilograms of the drug ice to the meeting, expecting to make millions in the deal....

Ted Kaczynski terrorised the US for almost 20 years. But, what was it like forensically analysing the letters of a twisted genius? Max Houck is one of the world's most respected and recognised forensic scientists. During his time at the FBI, he worked on some of the world's most infamous forensic investigations, including 9/11, D.B Cooper, and The Unabomber.  Understand Max's career with host...

Behavioural threat assessment is a new area of policing and it's been incredibly successful in helping to solve complex crimes. Former NSW Detective Kris Illingsworth trained with the FBI in behavioural threat assessment.  In this episode of Crime Insiders | Detectives, Brent Sanders discovers how behavioural threat assessment works and how it can be used to reduce the risk of domestic violen...

Belle Gibson convinced the world she was a wellness warrior—a survivor who beat terminal brain cancer through clean eating and alternative medicine. Her story made her a star, landing deals with Apple and Penguin and amassing a global following. But there was just one problem... she never had cancer. In this episode of Crime Insiders | Judgements, we uncover what happened when the truth caug...

Sandra Nicholson was at the heart of chaos. Whilst Melbourne was under siege during the Gangland Wars, and bushfires wreaked havoc across Victoria, those at the top of Vic Pol were forced to front the media and take responsibility for the intensity surrounding the city. Sandra Nicholson was Assistant Commissioner at Victoria Police for 5 years, and steered the ship with Commissioner Christine Nixo...

What if a prevention of domestic violence was hiding in plain sight – on four legs? Research shows that in homes where abuse happens, pets are often victims too. So, could vets be the missing link in identifying and addressing domestic violence? Should they have the same mandatory reporting requirements as doctors and teachers? Today’s guest, Dr Lydia Marwood, knows just how intertwine...

Australian Police have used a controversial tactic known as the 'Mr Big' technique to elicit confessions from some of the country's worst killers. Perhaps the most famous being child murderer, Brett Peter Cowan.  Please visit Danielmorcombe.com.au and learn about the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.  Daniel’s parents, Denise and Bruce launched the foundation to provide personal child sa...

A long standing theory, but one ballistics supports, at least in the mind of some of those who worked the case, is that Ivan Milat didn't act alone and that there were multiple shooters at several of his crime scenes.  Host Kathryn Fox sits down with one of Australia's most respected forensic experts, Gerard Dutton to understand why some think there was more than one shooter, and how specific...

Kris Illingsworth is a former New South Wales detective who later trained with the FBI in behavioral threat assessment. In this episode of Crime Insiders | Detectives, Kris takes Brent Sanders behind the scenes at two of Australia's most notorious crimes... When a woman is murdered in the remote community of Norfolk Island, everyone on the island becomes a suspect. And in the sleepy NSW town of We...

A knife-wielding attacker, a city in chaos, and a chase imprinted in the minds of Sydneysiders. On August 13, 2019, Mert Ney unleashed a brutal stabbing rampage through Sydney’s CBD—murdering Michaela Dunn and terrorising onlookers before being taken down by fearless bystanders wielding chairs and a milk crate. When police searched Ney, what they found raised even more disturbing quest...

A group of bikies converged on Sydney airport. Within minutes, one was dead and others injured. It was an incident that set off one of the world's most intense and effective gang operations, and led to a plethora of law changes and high profile convictions.  Deborah Wallace is a titan of NSW Police. Retiring in 2019 after 36 years in the force, she became known across Australia as 'The Gangbu...

DNA has become the gold standard in forensic investigation. As its use is increasing, so is our understanding of its limitations.   Jae Gerhard is the principal forensic scientist at Independent Forensic Services. Starting out as a forensic scientist at the Australian Federal Police in 2002, Jae is an expert in body fluid detection, bloodstain pattern analysis, and DNA analysis and inter...

Two young girls shot dead in a town of less than 1000 people. With local law enforcement stumped, they turned to the renowned FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit for answers. Julia Cowley is a retired FBI criminal profiler with a twist - she's a forensic scientist too. In this episode with Kathryn Fox, hear about Julia's very first assignment with the BAU, where her unique dual skillset provided insight...

The Lindt Cafe siege is one of Australia’s most infamous crimes.  A terrorist took ten customers and eight employees hostage back in December 2014.  The Sydney siege resulted in a 16-hour standoff, ending when officers from the NSW Police Tactical Operations Unit – or the TOU - stormed the cafe.  In this episode of Crime Insiders | Detectives, Brent Sanders sits down wit...

Without the internet, police were unable to track offender behaviour, and heavily relied on the testimony of victim-survivors.  These interviews were crucial, and required care and empathy, as one misstep, and evidence could be lost and a victim survivor left unheard.  Former detective Andrew Patterson was part of a special task force investigating paedophiles in Perth, and was the one w...